When Alex Pereira made the iconic walk at UFC 303 in Las Vegas, Conor McGregor fans were unhappy. Only slightly, as it was to be the Irishman’s return event after all. However, ‘Poatan fans are over the moon right now! Right as of now, they might even thank the ‘Mac’ for notoriously pulling out. Pereira made yet another title defense, rather spectacularly this time around. McGregor, however, is not settling well.
Conor McGregor was set to face longtime expectant rival Michael Chandler on UFC 303’s PPV headliner. Unfortunately, ‘The Notorious’ had to unexpectedly pull out due to a toe injury. Cue in another man with a toe injury who probably dislocated his extremities with his KO win. Alex ‘Poatan’ Pereira floored and blew out Jiri Prochakza with a vicious head kick at the 0:13 mark of Round 2.
The 36-year-old kickboxer is a master of setting up shots and countering them, not wasting an inch of muscle where he doesn’t need to. Pereira winded down and caught Prochazka off guard. Much like other peers and pundits, the Irishman reacted to the second-round knockout in one of his famous tweet-and-delete moments. McGregor’s initial tweets seemed complimentary, but he also had outbursts.
Pereira, Glover Teixeira (of Team Teixeira MMA & Fitness), and heavyweight veteran Plinio Cruz did their proper due diligence on the Czech fighter. Seeing that he hangs down his hands and leans in during prime stances in warm-ups, the defending champ decided to utilize the head kick. It puts a whole new meaning to “headshot, dead.” But McGregor let his frustration out for not being able to return to fighting.
UFC 303: The ‘MAC’ not back fallout
Consensus sports icon Conor McGregor and his return draws in crowds from everywhere. Even on a three-year layoff, he maintains quite a fan following (not much else in terms of stats or ranking. But even some of the more hardcore fans took a swipe at ‘Mac’ for his erratic tweet-and-delete spree after Pereira’s win.
Conor McGregor, Alex Pereira (Source: irishmirror.ie/X)On comment mocked, “He fought with a broken toe tonight, what’s your excuse?” While another retorted —“Thanks for pulling out so we could watch this!” Some said it should have been him doing this, much akin to his fast finish of Jose Aldo. Both tweets are now gone (big surprise), as are their reactions, but the feeling persists.
Alex Pereira becomes the first light heavyweight champion with multiple title defences since Jon Jones relinquished the title in 2020.
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) June 30, 2024
How do you not induct Alex Pereira into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2025? Shit induct him how. Add him to the class of 2024. Never seen anything like it in UFC history. #UFC303
— Daniel Rubenstein (@dannyrube) June 30, 2024
Alex Pereira (kick, elbows, punches, flying knee) is just the 7th fighter in UFC history to earn finishes by four or more different techniques. The others: Johnny Walker, Anthony Smith, Dan Hooker, Georges St-Pierre, Alistair Overeem, and Jeremy Stephens. #UFC303
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) June 30, 2024
Alex Pereira has now headlined two of the top 4 highest gates in UFC history:
1. UFC 205 – McGregor vs Alvarez ($17.7M)
2. UFC 229 – Khabib vs McGregor ($17.2M)
3. UFC 300 – Pereira vs Hill ($16.5M)
4. UFC 303 – Pereira vs Prochazka 2 ($15.9M)#UFC #MMA #UFC303 pic.twitter.com/HaxW68Iab3— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 30, 2024
This is more so because a name does not get bigger than Alex Pereira after UFC 303. Pereira (11-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) earned a second defense of his undisputed gold in just a few months. In an industry that saw June with ridiculous pullout merchants, that’s a wonder. He is now 2-0 in head-to-head clashes with former champ Prochazka.
Throughout nine fights, he has defeated multiple former champs. ‘Poatan’ has two divisional titles, 4 title fight wins (5 fights), and 5 PPV main events under his belt. He is now part of 4 of UFC’s top 10 live gates, including April’s historic PPV event. Hence, while fans love McGregor, they do not welcome his erratic dismissal of a man’s main event who is reaching fame by leaps.
